Van Helsing and Alexandria: Witches and Werewolves
by Shadow Van Helsing
Summary: SEQUEL TO VAN HELSING AND ALEXANDRIA Dane has been inflicted with the curse of the werewolf. In order to save him, Alexandria must lead Dane and Van Helsing to her Witch Mother where only she holds the cure to Lycanthropy. But with Van Helsing struggling with his emotions and Dan developing a taste for raw meat, will this prove too much for the brave Alexandria Valerious?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Dane didn't mean to get lost. He was careful every time he went hunting- never straying too far from home. But his family wasn't very rich so when Dane spotted the Deer, he went after it. He wasn't as good a tracker like his Da was and soon lost the trail. Dane scowled to himself. The deer would have been good eating, and a nice birthday present for Ma. Shaking his head in disappointment, he picked his way through the under-growth. The sun was sinking on the horizon, making strange shadows that danced off the trees. Dane glared at the shadows. It would be a full moon tonight. Dane wasn't superstitious but his parents were. No doubt they were staring out the window, worrying their hearts out, clutching a variety of charms and hoping that a werewolf didn't pick him off. Dane was a grown man and didn't believe in such nonsense. Someday, he would earn enough money so that he could move into Rome and work at a restaurant or something. It was a nice day-dream.  
Dane stopped walking and frowned. Was this the direction he had came from? He was sure it was. But why did everything seem unfamiliar? He turned in a circle. But nothing looked familiar. He clutched his small hunting bow that his Da had made for him tightly. It was getting darker and darker and with a chill, Dane realised that he had no idea where home was. He started walking very quickly in what he hoped was the right direction. He cursed himself. He had hunted in these woods dozens of times but he had never once got lost before. The sun set and the bright full moon casted a faint glow over everything. Dane panicked and started to run.  
"Ma! Pa!" He called. He was answered by a very deep, loud howl. Great. Wolves. That was all he needed. He tripped on a root and went face first into the ground. Dane muttered more curses then froze. There was something wrong. It was too quiet. There should have been bugs chirping and nocturnal animals moving about. But the forest was unnaturally silent. Dane swallowed and got to his feet. The wolf howled again but this time it sounded closer and it sounded big. Dane's heart was pounding in his chest. He was being hunted. Dane could feel a pair of menacing eyes on him. There was a crackle of bushes and Dane slowly turned around. A pair of glowing red eyes greeted him. Dane stifled a scream. The wolf's eyes bore into his soul and Dane stood frozen in fear. The wolf let out a deep growl. It stepped out of the bushes and into the moonlight. Dane nearly died of fear. The wolf stood two metres tall on two very powerful looking hind legs. It was brown in colour and it's eyes shone with madness and intelligence. Dane had no doubt he was looking at a werewolf. The werewolf snarled and pounced...


	2. Chapter 2

_'Come to me, my child... My time is short... You can only hide from your powers for so long... Follow your instincts...'_ the voice of the woman drifted into Alexandria Valerious's dream again.  
_'Who are you? You've been coming to me in my dreams for awhile now,'_ Alex's dream self asked. The voice laughed.  
_"You know who I am, my child. I am your Mother._"  
_"What do you want?"_ Alex snapped. The voice laughed again.  
_"Such spirit! Very well, I will show you your path..."  
_The dream changed and suddenly the face of a young man came into view. He had short blond hair and startling blue eyes. He was sort of handsome, in a weird kind of way.  
_"When the time comes, you must guide this innocent man. Only I hold the cure to his curse. Trust your instincts. They will guide you to me."_  
And just like that, Alex's eyes shot open.

She lay in her bed for some time. Ever since Alex had agreed to work for the Knights of the Holy Order, she had been having weird dreams. Except, they weren't just... dreams. They were something else.  
They were visions.  
Because Alexandria Valerious wasn't and ordinary woman. Yes, she was the last of the Valerious family. Yes, she was trained in the art of combat and weaponry. Yes, she worked for a secret organisation set up to eradicate evil.  
But that wasn't what made her special.  
Alexandria Valerious was the daughter of a powerful Witch and Alexandria had inherited her powers. Her dreams told her that her mother went by the name of Seraphoenix. Alex shivered. Even her mother's _name_ sounded powerful.  
Even now, Alex could feel the power circulating through her body. But she had no idea how to tap into that power and use her magic. Not that Alex wanted to tap into that power. She was already getting weird looks from all the priests and monks that worked here even though she had only used her magic once and that was to defeat Dracula- the greatest evil the world had ever known. Alex dimly remembered that the Catholic Church used to burn Witches. She didn't like thinking about that.  
And then there was Van Helsing.  
She loved him. She loved him with a passion. But he was tasked with hunting down evil. He had even admitted Alex that he had hunted down a few Witches and Warlocks before. She loved him but she was absolutely terrified of him. She was terrified of Van Helsing, her powers and she was terrified of what the future might have in store for her.

Around noon, Alex was talking to Carl when she felt it. It was a sort of a feeling that something was about to happen. As if in a trance, Alex started to walk.  
"Um, Alexandria, are you O.K.?" Carl asked, a little confused.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Alex said. She continued walking and Carl shrugged and went back to forging Alex's silver arrows.

Dane stumbled into the church in Vatican City, clutching his wounded side with one hand and carrying a pistol loaded with a single silver bullet in the other.  
"I have a confession to make!" Dane shouted to a priest that came rushing forward. He was desperate and scared. He had woke up this morning to find the bite marks on his side. And he knew for certain that he had been bitten by a werewolf. Somehow, he had found is way out of the forest. But he could not go back home to his superstitious parents. So instead, he had made his way through Rome to Vatican City. He planned to confess to being a werewolf before turning the gun on himself. At least that's what he planned to do until he saw the pretty green-eyed woman coming up to him.  
"Stay b-back. For your own safety," Dane stammered. He felt dizzy. The werewolf bite stung like hell and he figured he would probably pass out from the blood-loss.  
"Who are you?" the woman's voice was so sharp and full of authority that Dane found it difficult to disobey her.  
"D-Dane. My name is Dane."  
The woman studied him closely.  
"I've seen you before. In my dreams," she said.  
"What?" Dane frowned.  
"My dreams told me you are cursed. Is that true?" the woman asked. Dane gave a dry laugh.  
"Yeah, cursed. You could say that," he said without humour. The woman looked at his wounded side and raised and eye-brow.  
"Werewolf?" she asked.  
"Yeah," Dane said. The woman's lip pressed tightly together like she was thinking.  
"Come with me," she ordered.  
"What? No! I must destroy myself! I have no wish to become a creature of darkness!" Dane protested.  
"I can help you," The woman insisted.  
"No you can't. Please, I have to do this," Dane begged, showing her the pistol. Quick as lightning, the woman knocked the pistol out of his hand. Before Dane could even give a cry of anger, the woman, who was Alexandria, jabbed him with a knock-out dart from her blow-gun and Dane felt himself descending into darkness.  
"What did you do?!" Dane struggled to form words as he felt his knees give way.  
"I'm sorry, but this is for your own good and mine," Alex said and Dane slipped into unconsciousness.

It was the throbbing that brought Dane back into consciousness. He struggled to open his eyes but when he did, he groaned. He was in a room, lying on a bed. He somehow knew that the door was locked but he decided to try in anyway. Getting out of the bed he discovered that someone had dressed his wound.  
Making his way to the door, he noticed his sense of sight seemed sharper somehow. But as soon as Dane touched the door handle, he yelped in pain and whipped his hand away. The door handle felt red-hot. His hand sizzled like someone had poured acid on it and it was all burnt. But as he watched, Dane's hand slowly healed. He stared at it in fascination before looking at the door handle.  
Silver. It had to be. Silver was fatal to werewolves.  
So he was trapped in this stupid room. Great. He had come here to kill himself. It had taken Dane ages to work up the nerve to pull the trigger on himself but the green-eyed woman had stopped him. Damn her.  
_I can help you_, the woman had said. Yeah, right. The Curse of the Werewolf cannot be lifted. Dane didn't need to be superstitious to know _that_.  
Scowling to himself, he sat down on the bed.  
Some time later, the door opened and the green-eyed woman walked in.  
"You!" Dane snapped angrily.  
"What about me?" she shrugged.  
"You put me in here! Just when I was-"  
"About to shoot yourself? Yes, how _mighty _of you. I offer you a chance to get rid of the curse and you go and try and shoot yourself. Hardly polite," the woman said dryly. Dane went to give her a dirty look but she beat him to it.  
_I am highly offended. Please watch what you say from now on_, the look said. Dane muttered some bad words under his breath and dropped his eyes to the floor, away from her piercing green eyes.  
"Who are you, anyway?" he ask.  
"My name is Alexandria Valerious," she said. Dane looked up at her again. Her brown hair glittered in the torchlight and Dane realised she wasn't and ordinary woman. She wore silver breast-plate with a black short trench-coat, the sleeves coming up to her elbows. Dane had no doubt the trench coat hid all sorts of weapons. She completed the look with black leather pants, knee-high boots, finger-less leather gloves, and worst of all, a quiver of arrows was strap to her back. Though she had no bow at the moment, Dane could see that some of her arrows were tipped with silver. The arrows made him uneasy enough but this woman held herself with such confidence and radiated so much power, that Dane quickly realised that Alexandria Valerious someone you'd want as an enemy.  
"Who are you?" Dane said again.  
"I told you. I'm Alex-"  
"No, I meant, _who _are you? Where am I?"  
Alex hesitated.  
"I can't tell you about who I am exactly, nor about the people I work for until I receive an answer from you."  
"Can you at least tell me where I am?" Dane pleaded. Alex hesitated again.  
"Vatican City," she said.  
"But-"  
"There's only so much I am permitted to tell you."  
"Fine. What answer do you want from me?" Dane said moodily.  
"I can help you with your werewolf problem. I need to take you to my mother," Alex said.  
"So... is your mum like a doctor or something?" Dane said sarcastically. He could tell this was a touchy subject for her.  
"No. But lets just say my mother specializes in the supernatural area."  
Dane thought about that for a second.  
"How do I know I can trust you?" Dane asked. Alex shrugged.  
"You don't. But I'll tell you something- you and me are alike. You have your problems, and I have mine. You can either sit here and wait to be destroyed by my superiors, or you can come with me and have a possible shot at being free of your curse."  
Dane studied her. Alex's eyes told him that she was telling the truth and that she really did want to help him. On the other hand, there was a certain darkness about her that scared Dane.  
_This one has secrets_, Dane thought. But if he was to stay here, he was dead. That made up his mind.  
"O.K, fine. I'll go with you. I hope you know what you are doing," Dane said.


	3. Chapter 3

Van Helsing had returned from his latest assignment to find Alexandria gathering weapons and packing a small back. His heart beat a little faster at the sight of her. He was madly in love with her.  
Next to her stood a young man with short blond hair and eyes the colour of the sky. He was pale and was looking around nervously, clutching his side like it hurt. Van Helsing frowned.  
"Did they give you an assignment?" he asked, ignoring the blue-eyed boy. Alex shot him a tight grin.  
"Well, hello to you too. The answer to your question is no. The Cardinal is giving me the evil eye. For a man of God, he is quite terrifying," she said. Her voice was filled to the brim with sarcasm. The blue-eyed boy was giving him strange looks.  
"Isn't that Van Helsing?" he asked.  
"Yes," Alex said.  
"Isn't he wanted for murder?"  
"It would seem so."  
"Righto," said the boy, swallowing nervously.  
"What's your name, kid?" Van Helsing. The boy glared at him.  
"Dane. Why is everyone around here calling me a kid?"  
"Because you are a kid," Alex said.  
"Am not! I'm 19 years of age-"  
"And I'm 22. Your point being?"  
Dane glared at her and hissed something bad under his breath.  
"Where are you going?" Van Helsing asked Alex. Alex grabbed a knife and strapped it to her boot.  
"I've been having dreams again, Van Helsing. My Mother calls. I need to take Dane to her and hopefully she can help him," Alex said. Van Helsing raised an eye-brow.  
"Your Mother? Really? And what does the boy have to do with your mother?"  
"I have a name, you know," Dane muttered under his breath. Van Helsing ignored him again.  
"Dane has a problem. He's a werewolf. He was bitten last night," Alex said, retrieving some bullets for her one revolver that she carried on her hip. Van Helsing knew she preferred to handle her bow and arrow but in this line of work, you could never be too careful.  
Dane fidgeted, drawing in sharp breaths. Van Helsing could relate to that. The werewolf bite was painful as the venom worked it's way through a man's system. Worse still, it was horrible to lose track of what makes you human and give in to the madness. Van Helsing made a mental note to warn him about that later. The boy was probably terrified. Alex was his only hope, in his eyes.  
"Do you really think your mother can help him?" Van Helsing asked. Alex shrugged.  
"I'm just following my instincts," she said.  
"Is there any way I can help?" Van Helsing asked. Alex shook her head.  
"No. This is something I need to do on my own. Besides, I don't think you could get the Cardinal's permission."  
As if on cue, Cardinal Jinette seemed to materialise out of no where next to Alex.  
"On the contrary, Alexandria, I would rather Van Helsing go with you," he said.  
"Why?" Alex asked suspiciously.  
"You are travelling with a werewolf on your way to a Witch. I would prefer you not to travel by yourself," the Cardinal said.  
"I wouldn't harm her," Dane said.  
"You wait till the full moon, boy. If you transform into a werewolf, it won't matter who you're friends with- your wolf will see everyone you love as prey," said Van Helsing. Dane narrowed his eyes at Van Helsing.  
"And how would _you _know," he asked.  
"Pipe down!" Alex hissed at him. She looked at the Cardinal.  
"Fine, Van Helsing can come. But I'm leading. This is my Quest," she said sternly. The Cardinal shrugged.  
"Do what you must, but see to that you bring back this cure so that we may replicate it," he said. Alex nodded and went back to packing. The Cardinal drifted away. Alex handed Dane a knife.  
"W-what am I suppose to do with this?" he asked.  
"Things have a funny habit of going wrong whenever a Knight goes on a quest. You need to be able to defend yourself," Alex said.  
"With a knife," Dane said.  
Van Helsing busied himself with replenishing his bullets and various other weapons.  
"You got a problem with a knife?" Alex asked annoyance.  
"It's a bit... small. Why can't I take that?" he asked. Van Helsing looked up to see Dane admiring a long-bow. Alex chewed a finger-nail.  
"Do you know how to use a bow, boy?" she asked.  
"Yes. I hunt everyday for my father," Dane said. Van Helsing detected a little bit of pride in his voice.  
"Yes, but a long-bow is... long. I prefer the Recurve Bow. It's not too big. Plus, it's easier to draw and fire."  
"I don't care. I've handled long-bows before- my Pa has one," Dane insisted.  
"Fine, take it. But don't say I didn't warn you. Oh look, there's Carl with my arrows."

That night, Dane, Alexandria and Van Helsing left Vatican City on horseback. They had no idea where to find Seraphoenix, but Alex knew how to find her Mother by using the mysterious sixth sense she had developed.  
No one noticed the two mysterious figures slip out of the Vatican and follow the trio.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where exactly is your Mother?" Dane asked Alexandria as they trotted on horseback through the streets of Rome. He was watching the mysterious woman ride her white horse with ease. Dane himself wasn't overly confident in his riding skills but e suspected that he was going to be doing a lot of riding on this Quest.  
"I don't know," Alex answered truth-fully.  
"I thought you knew!" Van Helsing exclaimed. Dane looked at him distastefully. Though, he wasn't sure that Van Helsing was indeed a murderer, there was something about the man that ticked Dane off.  
"I'm following my instincts, and my instincts tell me that Seraphoenix is in this direction," Alex said simply.  
"So, in other words, you don't know where we are going," Dane said moodily.  
"Watch your mouth, boy!" Van Helsing snapped. Dane glared at him.  
"Don't call me a boy!" he snapped back.  
"Cut it out! Both of you!" Alex yelled. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Van Helsing! You haven't been yourself lately."  
Van Helsing shrugged her off.  
"I'm fine. I've just been feeling a little tense, that's all," he answered.  
"Fine, but don't go taking it out on Dane, even if he is a scrawny little thing," Alex said huffily.  
"Hey!" Dane protested.  
"She does have point, Dane," Van Helsing said. Dane could hear the smile in his voice. He looked between Alexandria and Van Helsing and realisation hit him in the face.  
They say the third wheel can see things that the two other wheels cannot. The third wheel can watch the situation between the two wheels like a Shakespearean Play. And what Dane could see were to people clearly in love with each other. With his sharp eyes that pierced the dark, Dane watched as Van Helsing kept looking at Alex with an expression of love and when he wasn't watching, Alex twisted around in her horse to give him a look of nervousness and love. It would have been cute if Dane didn't feel so jealous.  
Sure, Alex was a few years older then him, but surely she was not interested in the dark annoying figure of Van Helsing, right?  
Dane shook his head mentally. People were weird, especially this lot.  
An idea began to blossom. Perhaps he could have some fun. He urged his horse forward, next to Alexandria's.  
"So, Alex... you with anyone?" Dane asked.  
"What?" Alex asked, clearly surprised at the question. He thought he could hear Van Helsing give an intake of breath.  
"I meant are you in a relationship with anyone? Like, of the opposite sex?" Dane pressed.  
"No. Why do you ask?" Alex asked.  
"No reason. I was just...curious."  
"I really don't think Alex would want to discuss her love life with you, boy," Van Helsing said sarcastically.  
"No, no. It's O.K. It's not like I don't think about my love life- or rather _lack of_ love life," she said.  
"Oh? Is that so?" something in Van Helsing's voice changed and Dane started to grin like an idiot.  
"Any one you have in mind?" Dane asked.  
"_Shut up_!" Van Helsing said through clenched teeth. Alex laughed.  
"Can't you see he's pulling your leg?" she said. She smiled at Dane.  
"I like him, he's a funny boy."  
"You like _him_?!" Van Helsing sputtered. He glared at Dane. Dane was still grinning. He decided to drop his teasing- for now.  
"So, Van Helsing... aren't you supposed to be like a murderer or something?" Dane asked. Van Helsing shrugged.  
"Something along those lines. I try to save people and in return, the French put up wanted posters of my beautiful face all across Paris," he said.  
"Modest Much," Dane muttered. He focused his attention back to Alexandria.  
"I've never heard your accent before. Where are you from?" Dane asked.  
"Transylvania. I lived in a Village called Vaseria. My Great Grandfather decided to stop moving around as a Gypsy in order to complete unfinished business. So he and his Clan settled down and funded Vaseria," Alex murmured, suddenly looking distracted.  
"You are a Gypsy?" Dane asked in amazement. He caught himself before he could point out that Gypsies were supposed to be thieves.  
"More then just a Gypsy. My father, Boris Valerious, ruled over my village. I'm more of a Gypsy Princess. My brother, Luka, is the King of the Gypsies, now that father and Vulcan has passed."  
Dane listened with interest. Alexandria, a Gypsy Princess? Who would have thought! There was more to this woman then Dane realised.

Van Helsing listened to the conversation between Dane and Alex. He felt a little bit jealous that Alex had taken a liking to him.  
_So eliminate the competition_, the voice in his head said. He told it to get lost.  
_You can't keep hiding from you emotions forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to confront Dane. He is the enemy who is stealing your girl.  
_Van Helsing grimaced his thoughts, feeling like an idiot for thinking it. It was only natural Alex would take a liking to he boy. He was charming despite the fact that he was probably going to turn into a werewolf as soon as the full moon showed it's ugly face. But Alex wasn't in love with him. Dane may be only three years younger then Alex, but he was still a boy. An impulsive yet charming boy.  
_But that's not what you think, deep down inside you, _the voice insisted.  
"Shut up!" Van Helsing said out loud. Both Dane and Alex stopped talking and looked at him.  
"Sorry. Talking to myself," Van Helsing said.  
Dane shrugged and started to stare at the sky. Alex had a worried look on he face.  
"Are you sure your alright?" she asked.  
"Yes, I'm fine," Van Helsing said. Although he began to wonder if he wasn't.


	5. Chapter 5

_The forest was dark and brooding. A full moon cast a faint glow over everything. Van Helsing was in a clearing. Although he wore his trench coat, he shivered. His breath fogged out in front of his face, making it hard to see. There was something wrong. The forest was completely silent. Suddenly, he heard a deep howl- too deep and loud to be a normal wolf.  
_Werewolf_, Van Helsing thought.  
As his breath cleared in front of his face, he saw it. It was standing on the other side of the clearing, with drool dripping down it's face.  
Van Helsing had locked eyes with a werewolf.  
Except, it wasn't an ordinary werewolf. It was sleek, black and bulging with muscle. It's eyes held madness but it also had intelligence. But behind that wolf-face, Van Helsing recognised himself. This was his werewolf. It was the same creature that had killed Anna not so long ago.  
'Hello Gabriel,'_ _The Wolf said. It's mouth didn't move but it's voice rang out from it.  
'What do you want?' Van Helsing asked. The werewolf took a step closer. Van Helsing tried to move backwards but he was frozen in the spot.  
'I want what you want, for I am you. Just without your petty human limitations,' it said.  
'Back off. You are gone. As soon as Anna sacrificed herself for me, you died,' Van Helsing snapped. The werewolf seemed to smile.  
'That's what you tell yourself. But I know you for I am you. I lurk in the deepest, darkest pits of your consciousness. I am all your fears and all your hopes. Most people see werewolves as an animal of madness, but in reality, werewolves are human nature without the limitations and moral standards. I am your passion, your dark thoughts and your secret desires. I am everything you want to be- strong, devoid of the human weaknesses. Only if you let go of your human self and become the Animal that you wish to be, you will truly know your nature and only then will you be truly free.'  
Van Helsing went to say 'no' but the word caught in his throat and refused to come out. Some part of him wished he could be the werewolf again. The temptation to give in was strong. But he couldn't give in. Him killing Anna still haunted him everyday.  
Van Helsing was many things but he was not a murderer. There was a fine line between humanity and monsters but no matter how thin that line was, Van Helsing was not willing to cross it. He would die before he let an innocent be harmed by him.  
The werewolf sensed that Van Helsing had come to a decision and growled.  
'You dare defy your true nature!' it roared. Then it seemed to calm itself.  
'Very well, Gabriel. You chose to ignore your true calling. But beware, there is only so far you can deny yourself.' And with that, the werewolf got ready to pounce.  
Van Helsing tried to back away but his limbs refused to obey him.  
And then the werewolf leapt...  
_

Van Helsing jolted awake, breathing heavily. He bolted upright but the dream was already fading. Within a minute, he had forgotten all about his dream. But his heart still pounded in his chest. Something was seriously wrong with him. He didn't know if it was the stress or something, but Van Helsing was beginning to wonder if he was going insane.

Making her way out of the tent that the boys had pitched for her, Alexandria was deep in thought. They had been on the road for nearly two weeks and Alexandria's six sense that linked her to her mother was getting stronger. She couldn't explain how it felt exactly. It was like a tugging sensation, like she was being pulled on an invisible rope. Alex was vaguely away they were heading in a north-east direction but she had quit trying to work out their location on a map.  
Alex looked up an saw the half-formed moon in the night sky and shivered. If Dane transformed into a werewolf before they reached Seraphoenix... well she didn't want to think about it. Besides, they were close now, she could feel it.  
But that wasn't what troubled her tonight. What troubled her was what Dane had done when she had caught a rabbit. After Alex had skinned the animal and prepared to cook it over the fire, she had looked up to find Dane watching her work. Or, to be more precise, watching the rabbit. Her heart had practically skipped a beat.  
"Dane, is there something you want?" Alex had asked. He took awhile to answer. A look of hunger came over his eyes.  
"Do you think... do you think I could have my meat raw tonight, Alexandria?" Dane asked in a sweet, completely innocent voice that made Alex shiver. Of cause she had let him have the meat raw. She watched him practically tearing chinks of meat off the bones, it's juices and blood running down Dane's face, Alex had suppressed a shudder and exchanged a look of worry with Van Helsing. With every passing night, Dane was becoming more wolf-like. He had confessed to Alex when Van Helsing wasn't listening that he had been having weird dreams of him running in a forest on all-fours. Alex tried to hide her unease from him.  
And then there was Van Helsing. He was moody all the time and he didn't seem to like Dane. There was something wrong with him, Alex knew it, but every time she asked him if he was alright, he always said that he was fine.  
It seemed her Quest had taken a dark turn. Alex had thought it was simple- lead Dane and Van Helsing to Seraphoenix, get the cure and return back to the Vatican. But between Dane's lycanthropy and Van Helsing's snappish moods, Alex began wondering if she had bit off more then she could chew.

The following evening, when the trio had stopped to make camp, things really started to go to hell.  
"Oh man, my butt is so sore from riding that horse- how much further do we have to go?" Dane groaned.  
"I don't know, but we are getting closer every day," Alex replied, giving her horse a quick brush.  
"I don't know what's worse, my butt or turning into a werewolf!" It was a very weak joke but Alex still smiled. Unfortunately, Van Helsing didn't see it that way.  
"Stop you whining- we are all sore," he snapped.  
"Van Helsing," Alex warned.  
"What's your problem with me anyway?" Dane asked, suddenly angry.  
"Dane..." Alex warned.  
"You are a whining little brat. You think we are doing this all for you? We are doing this so that any innocent that gets bitten by a werewolf is not doomed for life!" Van Helsing yelled.  
"What? Did you think I asked to be bitten by a were-"  
"Both of you shut the hell up!" Alex said suddenly. She couldn't take any more of their stupid, petty arguments any more. She had a raging headache and was in a serious bad mood.  
"Both of you had better have sorted yourselves out by the time I get back!" Alex shouted, storming off to get firewood. She couldn't believe those two were still at it. Arguing like a bunch of children- she thought Van Helsing was above all that. Apparently she was wrong.  
_Snap_, went a twig. Alex whirled around to the source of the sound but there was nothing there. Muttering under her breath, she continued on. There was a rustle of bushes behind her. Alex turned around but couldn't see anything. She was being followed, Alex was sure of it. She turned around to continue walking...  
And felt a wave of shock rolled throughout her body. Paralysed, Alex fell to the ground. Her back felt burnt and she struggled to think.  
_Electrocution_, Alex thought dully. A pair of boots walked into view. Alex lifted her head off the ground and looked up. A hooded figure stood with a cattle prod in one hand and pistol pointed straight at her head. Wasting no time, Alex swiped the gun out of the figure's hand and pivoted her legs around, tripping the figure. She got to her feet around the same time the figure did. He threw a punch that Alex saw coming from a mile off. She dodged it and caught hold of the figures wrist. She couldn't muster enough concentration to summon her powers so she bent the figure's wrist back and kneed him in the groin. She heard a grunt of pain as the figure dropped to his knees.  
So it was obviously a man.  
Strong hands wrapped around Alex's neck and she was dragged backwards in a choke hold.  
"Not so clever with all your powers now, aren't you, Witch?" a voice hissed in her ear. Alex tried to squirm out of his grip but he gripped her tighter- cutting off her air. But the figure had forgotten who she was. Alex slammed him against a tree, grabbed the hand that was around her neck and dug her nails in as hard as she could. She heard a grunt of pain and Alex drove an elbow as hard as she could in his ribs. She felt some of his ribs give out and the figure let go of her and clutched his side. Alex hit him in the throat and he started to gag. The other figure had recovered from getting his balls getting kneed in and started to come at her. Alex shook her head and side-kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards a couple of metres. He looked like he was going to come in for more. Alex readied herself. She heard a _click_ like a gun being cocked. She turned to find a gun once again pointed at her face. Alex snarled and threw a throwing star that had been concealed in her hand. The figure with the gun saw the movement and panicked slightly, throwing off his aim with the gun as he fired. Alex felt the bullet enter her thigh around the same time the throwing star sliced into the figure's shoulder.  
"You fool! The rest of them would have heard the gun-shot!" The figure snapped. The figure with the throwing star lodged in his shoulder said nothing.  
"Let's get out of here!"  
Alex let them go, feeling the pain radiating from the bullet. She suddenly felt drained of energy and she swayed slightly. She looked down at the bullet wound and grimaced.  
Judging from the amount of blood, the bullet had hit an artery. She had maybe a minute or two before she died.  
Unless she used magic. Crumbling to the ground, Alex placed a hand over the wound and tried to imagine the bullet working it's way out of her leg. Nothing happened. Alex was beginning to feel drowsy. She put more effort into the thought, trying to tap into the her powers. This time, Alex was rewarded with a thresh wave of pain as the bullet worked it's way out of her. There was a rush of blood as the bullet fell onto the ground. Now, Alexandria focused on healing her leg. The artery healed up and muscle and tissue mended together. Before long, Alex's leg looked as good as new, minus the blood that covered her. There was a rustling and Alex looked up in time to see Van Helsing and Dane come running through the bushes.  
"Took you long enough. I just fought off a bunch of idiots and saved my own life," Alex grunted.  
"Whuh?" said Dane.  
"Please explain," said Van Helsing. 


	6. Chapter 6

Van Helsing and Dane heard the gunshot.  
"Was that a…?" Dane began.  
"Yes, come on," Van Helsing said automatically. Dane followed Van Helsing to the source of the sound. It took some time but when they reached a clearing, they were greeted with a cranky Alexandria Valerious, covered in blood.  
"Took you long enough," Alex snapped. "I just fought off a bunch of idiots and saved my own life."  
"Whuh?" Dane asked, confused. There was a lot of blood on Alex and Dane felt alarmed. He glanced at Van Helsing and noted that he was confused too.  
"Please explain," Van Helsing said.  
"Yeah, whose blood is that?" Dane asked.  
"It's mine. Don't worry, I'm not injured anymore," She said a little too casually.  
"Not injured anymore? What on Earth are you talking about?" Dane shouted.  
"I was attacked. I fought them off- easily, mind you- but in the process I was shot in the leg. I managed to use my magic to heal myself," Alex explained.  
"Magic? Have you gone crazy-"  
"Attacked by whom?" Van Helsing interrupted Dane. Dane shook his head. What was all the talk of magic all about?  
"I dunno," Alex said. "There were two of them and they wore hoods. But they were definitely male."  
"Oh, yeah, because that totally narrows it done. WHAT MAGIC?!" Dane shouted.  
"Shush! They could still be around," Alex hissed, ignoring his question. Then she frowned as looked at something on the ground. She picked it up. Dane saw it was a bullet. Alex held it in her hand for a moment before gasping in shock.  
"What's the matter?" Van Helsing asked.  
"This is the same bullet we use for our guns and now that I'm thinking about it, they were using revolvers branded by the holy order!"  
Dane tried to piece together those words and came to a conclusion that he didn't like.  
"Does that mean you were attacked by someone who works for the Knights of the Holy Order?" Dane asked.  
"Yes."  
"This is bad," Van Helsing said. "Who would dare attack you?"  
Alex shrugged.  
"A lot of people don't like me within the Holy Order. But judging from the fact that they had some degree of combat skills, it could either be Adriano, Johnathon, Geronimo, Seth, Edgardo or Kyler- the other six knights."  
"But only two of them could have attacked you. Which one would have the guts?" Dane imported.  
"Well Adriano hates my guts," Alex muttered. Van Helsing shook his head.  
"Adriano may be a prick most times, but he has dedicated his life to the Order- he wouldn't dare lay a hand on you without the Order's permission."  
"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL WHAT'S GOING ON?" Dane shouted. He immediately regretted it when Van Helsing and Alex turned to look at him.  
"Look, I get the feeling that both of you aren't being honest with me and normally, I think that's cool. But there is something really weird going on with you, Alexandria. You don't smell human, I can feel my werewolf side shrinking in confusion every time I'm around you. What are you?" Dane asked. Van Helsing shot him a dirty look which Dane ignored. Alex was looking at him carefully.  
"I'm a witch," she said finally.  
"What?" Dane asked.  
"My mother was a witch and I sort of inherited her power."  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yep."  
Dane tried to wrap his head around that and found that he wasn't surprised. Alexandria Valerious had always been weird.

They made their way back to the campsite and Van Helsing grimaced. The place was trashed- their food and shelter kicked around and the horses had been released.  
"Well, that's an inconvenient we could have done without," Alex said sarcastically.  
"Understatement of the bloody year. It's looks like your attackers don't like us," Dane agreed. Van Helsing felt something snap inside him. Maybe it was all the stress or maybe he was going insane, but right now, he really, really hated Dane. It was so bloody obvious that he was hitting on Alex.  
_So take him out, you idiot. Eliminate the competition. Alex is your Mate and your Mate alone,_ that voice in Van Helsing's head whispered. Part of him realised that him hating Dane was totally unjustified- after all, the boy had done nothing wrong. But a much stronger part of him saw that Dane was most likely hitting on Alex. That part of him was convinced that Dane needed to back off.  
"Van Helsing, did you hear what I said?" Alex's voice cut through his thoughts.  
"Hm? Oh sorry, lost in thought," Van Helsing stammered. Alex gave him an odd look.  
"I said we should start to clean up the camp before nightfall- I don't want to be pitching a tent in the middle of the night.

There were two tents- Dane slept in one while Alex slept in the other. Van Helsing usually sat around the fire and slept with his back against a tree or something. He was doing so now when he heard a rustling sound. He looked up to see Alex coming out of her tent, a serious look on her face.  
"What's the matter?" Van Helsing asked.  
"I'm worried about you, Van Helsing," she said, sitting down close beside him. Too close.  
"Well I'm fine-"  
"No you are not. You are snappish and easily angered. Normally, I wouldn't ask but I'm leading this quest. If you can't handle it, then you will be a danger to us all. I need to know now if you are up to it," Alex said firmly. Van Helsing turned to look at her.  
"Alex, I'm fine. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."  
"Are you sure? And don't tell me you are because I know there is something up with you and I want to know what it is."  
Van Helsing said nothing.  
"It's O.K, you can trust me," Alex said gently. Van Helsing was surprised at her tone.  
_Go on, this is the part where you tell her how you_ feel, Van Helsing thought._  
"_Alex, have you ever thought about the future?" Van Helsing began. Alex frowned.  
"Not really. A peaceful life sounds nice. Maybe go back to Valerious Manor in Vaseria. Find someone to settle down with, have a kid or two. Although such a mundane life sounds weird. I'm of Valerious blood and a born witch- having an ordinary life is nothing more then a dream."  
She was right of cause. An ordinary life didn't suit Alexandria.  
"Anyone particular you want to settle down with?" Van Helsing asked, hoping she'd take the hint.  
"No, why?"  
"I was hoping there was a chance I could be that person in your future."  
At first, Alex didn't seem to react.  
"Did you just hint at what I think you just hinted at?" she asked. Van Helsing nodded. It seemed to take a couple of seconds for it to sink in.  
A look crossed her face. A look that Van Helsing didn't like.  
"I won't pretend that I don't have feelings for you, which I do, but now might not be the time for romance," Alex said softly.  
"I don't understand," Van Helsing said.  
"She means that she wants to complete this quest and deal with her mother first before she'll date you. Obvious really," Dane yearned, coming out of his tent. Anger rose in Van Helsing's chest.  
"Go away. The grown-ups are talking, little boy," Alex hissed. Dane laughed.  
"She wasn't joking. Get lost Dane," Van Helsing said. Dane shrugged.  
"Well, keep it down- you guys woke me up." "We were whispering!" Van Helsing protested. Dane shrugged again and pointed to his ears.  
"Enhanced werewolf hearing. Make your own deductions."  
"Whatever," Van Helsing muttered. He was getting really fed up with the boy's attitude. The fact that he now knew Van Helsing had feelings for Alex was unbearable. Alex was looking between Dane and Van Helsing. Suddenly, realisation dawned on her face.  
"Your jealous of Dane!" she said suddenly. Van Helsing's head snapped around and gave her a look.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Your jealous of Dane because you think he's hitting on me and I'm falling for it. That actually explains a lot," Alex said. Dane gave a dry laugh.  
"It's about time!" he giggled.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I could tell you too loved each other right from the very start. I knew Van Helsing was watching me closely so I couldn't resist having some fun," he bursted out laughing which made Van Helsing want to hit him.  
"That wasn't a nice thing to do," Alex said quietly. But Dane continued to laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world.  
"I SAID THAT WASN'T A NICE THING TO DO!" Alex shouted. Dane stopped laughing.  
"Look, both you guys are grown men! Start acting like it."  
Van Helsing opened his mouth to say something but Alex held up a hand and he shutted up.  
"No stop! I don't want to hear it. No more arguing, no more petty fights and none of this childish behaviour. If anyone wants to say something, say it now because tomorrow, we wipe the slate clean and start over again. Agreed?"  
"Agreed," Dane said. He was suddenly ashamed of his actions. He had purposely made Van Helsing jealous and had played with his emotions.  
"Agreed," Van Helsing said. He too was ashamed of his actions. His snappish behaviour was brought upon by ignorance and jealousy and he had made everyone's lives miserable.  
"Good," Alex sighed. "I'm glad we put that behind us."


	7. Chapter 7

There was some good news the next morning- Alexandria's white mare had returned. They would have to make the journey on foot- at least they had a horse to carry their stuff.  
It took days, with the moon getting closer to becoming full every night. Which each night, Alex felt a growing panic. What if they didn't make it in time? She didn't want to think about it. On the day before the full moon, Dane watched nervously as Van Helsing loaded a pistol up with silver bullets as they trudged through the undergrowth of the forest. A few hours later, they came across a clearing with a small wooden house resting proudly in the centre.

"Do you think that's your Mother's house?" Dane whispered, peering out from behind some bushes. Alex stared at it with unblinking eyes.  
"It's gotta' be it," she muttered. She had a bad feeling but she couldn't put a finger on what was making her uneasy. Van Helsing shifted uncomfortably.  
"I get feeling we shouldn't be here," he said.  
"Me too," Dane agreed. Alex clenched her jaw. So she wasn't the only one getting bad vibes.  
"The full moon is tonight. We should go check it out," she said. When Van Helsing and Dane didn't move, she got up from their hiding place and made her way to the house. Van Helsing and Dane looked at each other before following pursuit. When Alex reached the door, she raised a hand to knock but hesitated. She was about to meet her real mother. A million emotions swelled up inside her. Taking a deep breath, she went to knock but the door swung open and a woman stepped out. On impulse, Alex took a step back in surprise. The woman gave a thin smile. Alex had no doubt that this was her mother, Seraphoenix. Seraphoenix had the same green eyes as Alex but her hair was as black as the night sky and her skin pale and contained many wrinkles. Although she looked only about fifty, Alex sensed she was much older then she appeared to be.  
"Hello, my child. Won't you come in?"  
Alex stood there open mouthed for a second. Then she got over her initial shock and gave a nervous smile.  
"Yeah, sure. You and me have a lot of talking to do," Alex said. She went to step inside when Van Helsing yelped.  
"Alex, stop! How do we know we can trust her?"  
Seraphoenix turned her piecing green eyes onto Van Helsing. Confusion flashed on her pale face.  
"Lucius?" she said uncertainly. But then she looked at Van Helsing more closely.  
"No, not Lucius, it's only Gabriel," she muttered.  
"Excuse me? Who's Lucius? And how do you know my name?" Van Helsing said suspiciously.  
"Lucius is no one you need to worry about at the moment. As to how I know your name... well, I am a witch."  
But Van Helsing was still suspicious. Seraphoenix nodded to Dane.  
"You must be the young man in need of a cure. Come inside so I can make it."  
Dane nodded and followed Alex and Seraphoenix into the house until Van Helsing was the only one left outside. Sighing in annoyance, he followed them inside.

The house was smaller then it looked on the outside. Piles of ancient looking books and scrolls were stacked everywhere. In one corner, a bed was pushed up against a wall. The house contained only two rooms- the main room and a sort of kitchen.  
_Carl would have liked the books_, Van Helsing thought dryly.  
"So, Seraphoenix... do you mind if I call you Seraphoenix instead of mother? It's less awkward that way," Alex said. Seraphoenix gave a sharp nod. Dane was looking around curiously.  
"What language is all these books in?" he asked.  
"The language of Magic," Seraphoenix answered.  
"Looks like perfect Romanian to me," Alex muttered.  
"That's because you are a creature of magic." Seraphoenix shifted through a pile of scroll that looked a thousand years old.  
"Now where was it... I know it's here somewhere..." she murmured. Van Helsing saw Alex staring at her mother thoughtfully, her teeth nibbling her bottom lip.  
"Why did you never come visit me as a child?" she asked. Seraphoenix pursed.  
"That is a difficult question, child. Let's just say that you and your brother weren't supposed to be born."  
Alex raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh, is that so? Do you care to elaborate?"  
Seraphoenix sighed.  
"It' a long story."  
"I've got all night."  
"Ummmmmmm, no you don't. I'm scheduled to go full lycanthrope on everyone tonight, remember?" Dane said.  
Seraphoenix sighed. She seemed to have found the scroll she wanted and headed into the kitchen, with Alex hot on her heels. Van Helsing watched the exchange with mild interest but wisely decided to keep out of it. He motioned for Dane to do so as well.  
"About twenty-three years ago, I was in your homeland of Transylvania, delivering a parcel for client in exchange for information. Anyway, as soon as I delivered it, I was attacked by my client and was dumped in Vaseria," Seraphoenix said, as she looked at the scroll and started to gather ingredients.  
"Why didn't you use your magic?" Alex asked.  
"Because I swore an oath to never use magic to harm others. I resolved to use magic only when it was needed and only to help others."  
"Even when you were being attacked?"  
"Especially when I was being attacked."  
"That's kind of stupid. How did you meet my father?" Alex asked.  
"Well, as I staggered through your village, your people didn't take too kindly to me and I found myself down a dark alleyway surrounded by pitch forks and torches. And then your Father intervened before they attacked. You must understand that my physical appearance was different to the form I take now days. Your Father found me attractive and in no time took me back to Valerious Manor without his wife knowing. I think you can figure out what happened next."  
Alex raised an eyebrow.  
"My Father would never cheat on my mother."  
Seraphoenix gave her a thin smile.  
"Their relationship wasn't going as strong as they would have liked. His wife, Fiona, didn't know about it until I arrived at her doorstep a year later carrying you and Luka, " Seraphoenix answered.  
A wave of sickness washed over Van Helsing. He retched and staggered outside, his head spinning. Only Dane watched him leave.  
"I bet she was mad."  
"At first, yes she was. But after awhile, she seemed to accept it and agreed to raise you and Luka like her own." Seraphoenix seemed to have finished making her concoction and loaded it into a syringe.  
"Dane, come here. The full moon is almost upon us."  
Dane went up to Seraphoenix.  
"This might sting a bit," she warned. Alex flinched as she watched Seraphoenix inject whatever was in that syringe into Dane's arm. Dane himself gave no sign of discomfort.  
"How do you feel?" Alex asked when it was all over. Dane frowned.  
"Like a presence in my mind has disappeared. I can feel all my senses dulling back to normal as we speak." He shook his head like he was trying to clear away something.  
"So, who was your client and what was the package and what information were you seeking?" Alex asked.  
Seraphoenix grimaced.  
"Count Dracula. I was delivering something to Count Dracula."  
"What?" Alex said.  
"Count Dracula. He was seeking out a cure for Lycanthropy. Normally I wouldn't have associated with... His kind but he promised me information that would prove useful for the future."  
"And what information might that be?" Dane asked.  
"Lucius," Seraphoenix whispered.  
"That's twice you've said that name," Alex observed.  
"Yeah, who's Lucius?" Dane asked.  
"No one," Seraphoenix said icily. Then she gave a slight smile.  
"Dracula was furious when I told him I didn't give him the cure."  
"What did you give him?" Alex asked.  
"Well, instead of giving him the actual cure, I gave him a concoction designed to repress the werewolf side of the poor soul for a short time rather then curing it."  
"Why'd ya' do that?" Dane asked.  
"Because I don't like Dracula and I took pride in knowing that he didn't get what he wanted."  
"Seems fair enough. Dracula was a bastard," Alex said quietly. Then she froze as a disturbing thought entered her mind.  
"What is it?" Seraphoenix asked, catching the look on her face. Alex shook her head as her eyes widened.  
"Van Helsing!" she yelled.  
"What about him?" Dane said.  
"Don't you see? Van Helsing was bitten by a werewolf and went on to defeat Dracula. My older sister cured him of lycanthropy with Dracula's cure. Except it wasn't a cure. It was-"  
"Holly Cows! Does that mean Van Helsing is a werewolf?" Dane asked.  
"It depends on if the so-called 'cure' has worn off. Where is he?" Alex snapped.  
"He looked like he was about to throw up so he went outside," Dane answered.  
"Get him," she ordered. Dane obeyed and headed outside where it was already dark.  
"How long ago was he cured?" Seraphoenix asked.  
"Over a year ago, I think," said Alex. Seraphoenix paled.  
"He's lucky to have resisted the werewolf for so long," she hissed. The door opened and Dane rushed inside.  
"I can't find him!" he shouted.  
"What?" Alex yelped, rushing outside. It was dark but the bright full moon casted a faint glow over everything. Something caught her eye. It was a bundle of torn up clothing. As she got closer, Alex realised it was Van Helsing's.  
"We're screwed, aren't we?" Dane whispered from behind Alex.  
"Yes, we are screwed," Alex whispered back.


	8. Chapter 8

**If anyone wants to know what Alexandria and Luka Valerious might look like in real life, paste this into google:  
** #/art/Alexandria-and-Luka-Valerious-506985537?hf=1

* * *

Alexandria began to feel panic grow inside her. Van Helsing was a werewolf! How could she have not seen that coming? Worst of all, she and Dane had no idea where Van Helsing was- he could be right there in the shadows hunting them now or be many leagues away.  
"What do we do now?" Dane asked, fighting to keep the panic from entering his voice. It took a few seconds for Alex to reply.  
"Get Seraphoenix to fix up another cure."  
"What are you going to be doing?"  
"I will hunt Van Helsing down," she answered.  
"In the dark? You can't see a thing!" Dane protested. Alex turned to face him.  
"He's still around, that much I know. No doubt he'll be looking for fresh meat. Realisation dawned upon Dane.  
"You're going to try and bait yourself? That's crazy!"  
"Do you have a better idea?"  
"No."  
"Then go tell Seraphoenix to make a cure!" Alex snapped. Dane grimaced but did as he was ordered. Now Alex was alone in the dark. She started to walk forward until Alex hit the tree line. She breathed in lightly and tried to open up all her senses to the night. Her sharp eyes struggled to pierce the darkness- every shadow looked like a werewolf. She couldn't hear anything- the forest had gone deathly quiet. Good, that meant Van Helsing was close. Alex sniffed at the air and detected a slight doggish smell.  
Hmm, Van Helsing was closer then she had previously thought. The back of her neck itched and Alex knew she was being watched. Slowly, she unsling her bow, the Guardian, and notched an arrow in place. Taking a deep breath, she entered the forest, her footsteps crunching on the leaves.

"Where is Van Helsing?" Seraphoenix asked when Dane entered the house.  
"Full moon's up," he hissed. Understanding flashed upon Seraphoenix's face.  
"I'll make another cure. Where are you going?" she asked.  
"I'm gong to help Alex!" Dane said. The Witch shook her head.  
"Bad idea. You are just a boy. You should stay here where it's safe."  
"I'm not going to just stay here and leave Alexandria at the mercy of that monster!" Dane shouted. Without waiting for Seraphoenix to reply, Dane dashed outside.  
"Alex?" Dane whispered loudly. He squinted but couldn't make out her familiar shape. Something out the corner of his eye caught his attention. Was that a torch? Yes! Alex must of lit a torch. Now that he knew where Alex was, Dane ran after the light, as quickly as he could while still trying to stay quiet and not trip on anything.

Alex tried to walk as quietly as possible but she could do nothing but think curses every time she stepped on a twig or a leaf crunched beneath her. It sounded deafeningly loud in the silent night. As she walked, Alex's eyes scanned the darkness but she couldn't see any sign of the werewolf.  
All of a sudden, a cry rang out in the night, making Alex jump out of her skin.  
"Alex help!"  
Goosebumps rippled across her skin as she recognised Dane's voice. turning, she sprinted as fast as she could, the Guardian still in her hands ready to fire. She blinked as a light entered her field of vision. Like a lantern or a torch.  
She came upon a break in the forest and stifled a gasp. There was Dane, looking terrified as a gun was held to his head. That itself was alarming but it wasn't what set Alex's heart racing. The gun was being held by one of the hooded figures that that had attacked Alex earlier. But he wasn't exactly 'hooded'. He had pulled his hood down to reveal his face and Alex stared the traitorous bustard right in the eyes.  
"Hello there, Alexandria. Nice of you to join us," Adriano said, smiling pleasantly.  
"Adriano, what the hell are you doing?" she snapped. Adriano pressed the gun closer to Dane's forehead.  
"I'm doing what should of been done ages ago- destroying the werewolf and laying the Witch who dare set foot in our Holy Order," he answered.  
"Dane isn't a werewolf anymore- leave him out of this." Alex said quietly.  
"Oh? Is that so? Well, better destroy him anyway just in case," Adriano gave her a grin that didn't reach his eyes.  
"Alex, behind you!" Dane shouted. Alex went to turn but was too slow and a noose of fish-wire was slung over her head and pulled tight, cutting off her supply of oxygen. Panicked, Alex tried to grip the fish-wire but it was pulled too tight. She couldn't hold her breath any longer. As her vision dimmed, she glimpsed Dane as he knocked the gun out of Adriano's hand and make a run for it and then Alex blacked out.

When Alexandria came to, her hands were tied behind her back and there was a gag in her mouth.  
She felt dizzy and light headed.  
"So the Witch lives. How delightful," said Adriano. Alex hadn't noticed him standing in the shadows. She glared at him hatefully.  
"Don't look at me- I'm not the abomination of nature. Jonathan! Remove her gag!" Adriano shouted. A second man stepped foreword, Jonathan, and removed the gag.  
"What do you want with me?" Alex snapped.  
"To kill you." Adriano said simply.  
"Why?"  
"I could just say that I've been trained all my life to hunt down and kill evil doers like yourself but then I'd be lying. In reality I was ordered to destroy you by someone in higher power then the Holy Order."  
"Wait, what?"  
"That's right Alexandria, I never worked for the Holy Order. I was always working for someone else." Adriano seemed very smug. Alex scowled.  
"You are you working for, then?"  
"I can't tell you- although you are going to die anyway- O.K, I'll tell you. I work for Lucius."  
Alex blinked. Lucius? That's the third time she had heard that name this night!  
Alex resolved to find out more about this 'Lucius'.  
That's if she lived long enough, however.  
"What do you plan on doing with me now? Are you just going to slit my throat or shoot me in the head?" Alex asked. Adriano opened his mouth to say something but Alex cut him off.  
"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to him." She was referring to Jonathan. Jonathan suddenly looked unconfutable.  
"Yes you, boy. I was talking to you. You haven't said a word. Are you happy to be working with this nut bag over here?" she asked. Adriano shook his head.  
"Jonathan here cannot speak a word on account of the fact that his tongue was ripped out by a Witch when he was only a child. He seeks revenge from that great wrongdoing. Our motives may be different but we both have the same goal- to rid the world of you," Adriano said. Alexandria stared into his eyes.  
"You know, my brother, Velkin, told me to never underestimate anyone," she said quietly. She saw Adriano raise an eyebrow.  
"You think we've underestimated you? When we first fought you, that may have been the case, but not now," he said.  
"My twin brother, Luka, always told me to tie off loose ends. You certainly haven't," she continued.  
"What do you mean?"  
"For one thing, you failed to kill Dane and you have no idea where Van Helsing could be."  
"Dane is no threat to us and I get the feeling Van Helsing's a little occupied," Adriano said evenly.  
"Do you want to know what my older sister Anna always told me? She told me that if you want to kill someone, you freakin' do it!"  
And with that, the rope that was around Alex's wrists was cut by Dane who happened to be hiding in the shadows and she quickly got to her feet.  
Adriano and Jonathan immediately started to back up.  
"That's right, stay back," Dane said smugly, knife in hand. Alex frowned. Adriano and Jonathan weren't looking at them, they were looking _behind _them.  
_Danger!_ her mind screamed. Alex barely had enough time to pull Dane out the way before Van Helsing leapt out of the shadows. He landed on Jonathan, driving him into the ground. Adriano turned and fled. Before Jonathan even had time to cry out, Van Helsing's fangs sliced through his neck and ripped out his throat. He howled with victory before turning his eyes onto Alexandria and Dane.  
"Aww, hell," Alex cursed.


	9. Chapter 9

Standing up straight on his hind legs, Van Helsing was a seven foot tall mass of fur and fangs. His fur was black as sin and he blended into the shadows well. His eyes were furious but full of intelligence. And they were looking right at Alexandria.  
"Easy boy," Alex whispered, not daring to blink as she looked back into his eyes. She knew if she broke the eye-contact, Van Helsing would be on them before she had time to draw breath.  
"Back away slowly, and when you are out of site, run," she whispered gently to Dane. A low growl started up from Van Helsing as Dane backed slowly away. Alex took a step foreword. The growling got louder.  
"You are not going to kill me, Van Helsing," Alex said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. It must of worked because Van Helsing cocked his head at her, wondering why his prey didn't run away.  
"You not going to kill me because you love me," Alex whispered. She was losing him, she could see that. Any moment, one of them was going to break the eye-lock and it will be all over. She didn't have her Guardian, or any other weapon to defend herself.  
Van Helsing broke the eye-lock and Alex whirled around and leaped forward as Van Helsing lunged at her. She felt his jaws snap centimetres from her neck and she lurched forward and broke in into a run. This was stupid- she couldn't outrun a freakin' werewolf. Even now, running as fast as she could, Van Helsing's jaws were inches from her. The only reason she was still alive was because the trees were grown closely together. Alex heard a growl of annoyance and she risked a glance over her shoulder. Van Helsing couldn't get through- the trees grew too closely together. He snapped at her angrily but still couldn't get through. Alex kept running.

She arrived back at Seraphoenix's house where Dane was waiting.  
"Where is he?" he asked. Alex shrugged.  
"I dunno, I lost him in the trees. He can't be too far behind, though."  
They went inside. Seraphoenix had made the cure.  
"Where is the werewolf?" she asked. Alex shrugged.  
"We'd better find him."  
"But wait, Adriano is still out there!" Dane protested. Alex shrugged again.  
"Adriano is not my concern. The point is, werewolves feed on human flesh. Once Van Helsing gives up hunting us down, he'll go back to finish off Johnathan's body."  
"Gross," Dane muttered.  
"Better him then us," Alex said simply.  
"True," said Seraphoenix.  
"So what's the plan?" Dane asked.  
"If Van Helsing isn't there by the time we get there, then we use Johnathan's body to lure him out," Alex said.  
"And if he is there?" Dane asked.  
"Then we sneak up on him and we jab him with the cure."  
"Why can't we just wait it out until the morning? It easier and safer, plus we're in a forest- who's Van Helsing going to hurt? A tree? The odd deer or too?"  
"There's a small Village nearby," Seraphoenix said quietly.  
"What?"  
"There's a village nearby. Plus this cure will only work when he's in werewolf form."  
"But you cured me-"  
"Different formula and different circumstances," Seraphoenix interrupted. Dane gave her a look.  
"The werewolf Venom in your system hadn't had the time to establish itself into you yet. The first night of being a werewolf is all trial and error. But the nights after that, the venom establishes itself into the victim fully and in order to counteract the curse forever, I need to use it when the victim is in his or her's werewolf form," she explained.  
"Well that's just… that's just… that's just inconvenient. And stupid. Really stupid. And inconvenient. Did I mention it's inconvenient? Yeah, and stupid," Dane muttered.  
"Shut up, Dane. If we are going to go ahead with this plan then we need to do this now," Alex said sharply.  
"Even though it's barely a plan," he complained.  
"Well, it's all we've got so give it a chance, will ya'?"  
Alex glanced at Seraphoenix.  
"Can you help us?" she asked. Seraphoenix shook her head  
"I'm afraid my bones are old. I'd be more of a hindrance rather than helpful. Plus my oath of peace forbids me to harm anyone or anything. I won't be able to defend myself if he attacks me. But I do have something that you might find useful."  
She gestured to the table. Alex went over to it and gasped when she saw her recurve bow, The Guardian, on the table, along with her quiver filled with arrows, some of them tipped with silver.  
"Where did you get it?" Alexandria asked.  
Seraphoenix shrugged.  
"I have my ways," she said.  
Dane watched as she slung her quiver of arrows and her bow on her shoulder.  
"Great, now I feel complete," Alex said. She turned to Dane.  
"Are you ready for this?" she asked.  
"No," he snapped.  
"Good," Alex said.

Dane carried the cure while Alexandria tried to remember her way back to the small clearing where Johnathan's body was. She carried a lantern which casted a faint glow over everything. They walked in silence, the weight of the task ahead heavy on their minds.  
Eventually, they came upon Johnathan's body. Alex shined the light in Johnathan's face. She pursed, a frown upon her face.  
"What the...?!" she yelped.  
"What's wrong?" Dane asked. Alex put a head of Johnathan's mouth and jerked it back.  
"He's still alive!" she exclaimed.  
"What?! How is that possible? Van Helsing practically tore his throat! And all this blood... what are you doing?"  
Alex had placed a hand over Johnathan's throat and looked like she was concentrating hard.  
"I'm healing him."  
"Why? He attacked us," Dane asked darkly.  
"To leave him here would be plain murder. There's been too much death in my life," she muttered. Dane scowled but watched in curiosity as Alex healed him. When it was done, Johnathan gave an intake of breath but remained stubbornly unconscious. As an afterthought, Alex healed his tongue.  
"He owes me now, but he'll most likely kill me the second he can," she muttered under her breath.  
"Alex..." Dane warned. His voice had changed to alarm and Alex looked up, saw that he had gone very pale. She followed his gaze and made eye contact with Van Helsing, who stood there, quietly in the shadows.  
"You got the cure?" Alex asked Dane.  
"Y-yep," Dane stammered.  
"Give it to me."  
Van Helsing growled, his fur rising, muscles tensed to leap foreword as his teeth gleamed.  
"It ends now," Alex said.  
As Van Helsing leapt, Alex darted forward, syringe in hand


	10. Chapter 10

_The Werewolf leaped forward as Dracula leaped backwards and transformed into his bat-form. But before he could take off again, the Werewolf was onto Dracula and already tearing out his throat. Dracula made horrible sounds as his body disintegrated until only his bones were left. The Werewolf howled in victory. His sharp ears detected a sound behind him and he whirled around to find potential Prey running towards him. The Werewolf leaped at the Prey. His powerful leap broke the Prey and they both crashed on some furniture. He slowly got up but some six sense told him to turn around. He turned around and caught a silver stake that had been aimed at him by another Prey. The Werewolf roared in anger. How dare this Prey try to kill him?! He was the Werewolf and no one could stop him. He was too powerful. He was... Van Helsing?_  
_The Werewolf paused in confusion. He looked closely at the Prey. No, not Prey. This was Carl._  
_The animal madness left Van Helsing and he glanced down at the empty syringe sticking out of his stomach._  
_The empty syringe that was put there by Anna who lay dead on the piece of furniture._

It was like awakening from a long sleep. Van Helsing blinked back that memory of him killing Anna and frowned. One moment, Van Helsing was a werewolf, leaping at Alexandria Valerious, the next he was slamming into her as a man. Momentum kept them moving and they crashed into a tree, Alexandria letting out a gasp of pain as her head rebounded of the trunk. She slid down to the ground, dizziness overtaking her. Van Helsing kept his balance.  
"W- what happened?" Van Helsing asked, disorientated.  
"Van Helsing, Alexandria!" cried Dane. He had seen Van Helsing slam into Alex with enough force to kill any normal person, and now he was panicking. But he had seen Alex jab him with the cure, seen Van Helsing transform back to himself and gasped as Alex hit the tree. But Dane quickly realised that she was O.K and he ran forward to help her.  
Van Helsing just stood there, disorientated, confused and extremely, extremely ashamed.

"Ouch," yelped Alex as she burnt her tongue on the tea Seraphoenix had made for her. She, Van Helsing and Dane all sat around the table in Seraphoenix's cottage. Johnathan was still unconscious and he had a burning fever. Seraphoenix was attending to him now. Sunlight filtered through the windows. Dane had found Van Helsing's clothing. Though they were tattered and torn, Van Helsing still wore them.  
"Soooooo, um, what happens now?" Dane asked. Alex fidgeted.  
"Suppose everything goes back to normal. Regardless of what happened last night, our mission was a success- we have retrieved the cure, both you boys are officially werewolf free. Dane can go back to living with his parents, I can reconnect with my mother, and Van Helsing can breath easier every full moon. Everything is perfect now," Alex said.  
"Look, I'm sorry for what happened last night-" Van Helsing tried apologising but Alex held up a hand.  
"What happened, happened. It wasn't anyone's fault. Let us never speak of this again," she said.  
"Adriano's still out there," Dane reminded her.  
"Who cares? He was a terrible fighter to begin with," Alex said. She looked up and into Van Helsing's eyes. Dane, sensing the mood, left the table to go help Seraphoenix.  
"Van Helsing, I love you," Alex said quietly.  
"I know, I love you too," Van Helsing said softly.  
"Suppose we should, um, kiss or something?" Alex asked. Van Helsing raised an eyebrow.  
"Suppose we should," he said. They leaned in and kissed, Alex's soft lips upon his. And for a moment, it felt like they were the only people in the world.


	11. Chapter 11

_When the news arrived to him that the Witch-Girl wasn't dead, Lucius was angry. So angry in fact, that he made sure that the fool Adriano died in absolute agony. The Witch, Gabriel and Artemis were the only ones who could stop him from Raising the Dragon. But Artemis hadn't been seen in at least one hundred years and Gabriel was weak.  
Lucius scowled.  
Soon, it would be time to Raise the Dragon.  
Soon, he could conquer the world.  
Soon he could lay waste to his enemies.  
He promised himself that Gabriel would be the first to die._

**To be continued in Van Helsing: Secrets from the Past**


End file.
